Ljubco Georgievski: The “Macedonian” encyclopedia is in its essence anti-Bulgarian, anti-Albanian, anti-Greek and pro-Serbian

2 October 2009 | 14:57 | FOCUS News Agency

Former “Macedonian” Prime Minister and current informal leader of VMRO – National Party, comments for Focus News Agency on the “Macedonian” encyclopedia, issued by the “Macedonian” Academy of Science and Arts.

Focus Agency: How would you comment on the situation in “Macedonia” after the publishing of the encyclopedia by the “Macedonian” Academy of Science and Arts (MASA)?

Ljubco Georgievski: I’d like to point out that MASA’s new encyclopedia is only problematic for Albanians. This is probably due to the fact that the encyclopedia is hard to find. It has taken even me, with all my contacts, a week to get hold if the digital version of the book and I still don’t have it in paper body. I have stated in the “Macedonian” public that the problem with the encyclopedia is not about what it reads about Albanians and I suspect that the authors stirred the issue with Albanians just to conceal the weaknesses of their work in the section called encyclopedia of the “Macedonian “people. So I’ve been trying in “Macedonia” to raise the issue of how the “Macedonian” culture and struggle for independence have been presented in the encyclopedia and not how the Albanians are depicted.
The first thing one sees is that the politicians of the present time have been presented in topical political light and in terms of whom is to the liking of the government and who is detested. This however is the smallest flaw of the encyclopedia. The serious problem lies with the interpretation of the history of the “Macedonian” people. If the figures of Stojan Novakovic and Ilija Garasanin are in the limelight, then their project for “Macedonia” has been entirely successful. The encyclopedia teems with ideological prejudices, numerous forgeries, mystifications, made-up locations and complete revision of certain parts of “Macedonian” history. The encyclopedia represents a total vindication of the Communist period of Macedonia. All the figures from the Communist time are presented in favorable light. The encyclopedia not only vindicates the Communist period but also vindicates “Macedonia” from the time of the Yugoslav kingdom. The latter period is a time of fierce repression over the “Macedonian” people. And now we are supposed to see it as a romantic time and not as a time of trouble. Therefore I could say that the book seems to have been written back in 1978 in the time of Leonid Brezhnev, so full of ideological and historical prejudice it is. The book is in its essence anti-Bulgarian, anti-Albanian, anti-Greek and pro-Serbian. I think this is easily perceived, it is enough to have a look at the titles and at how the book is presented.